Born in Colmar in the Alsace region of France, Gregory Furstoss began his kitchen apprenticeship at 16 and spent the next decade cooking around the country including an 18-month stint at L’Arpège, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Paris.

In 2005, Furstoss joined his sister in Toronto and immediately landed a sous-chef position at Bistro Bakery Thuet owned by fellow Alsatian Marc Thuet.

“We were born in the same hospital,” he says with a laugh.

Furstoss only stayed a year, but it was enough time to meet his future wife, pastry chef Tory Yang. Next stop was at Senses in the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel.

“It’s a different vibe at a hotel,” he says. “It was quieter, but there was more opportunity to experiment.”

After five years at Senses, Furstoss and Yang decided to take the plunge into restaurant ownership. Scouring the city for a space, they settled on a leafy stretch of Baldwin St. known for its casual dining.

“It’s like I’m not in Toronto anymore. We’re close to University (Ave.), but you feel like you’re in the countryside.”

Ironically, the old Victorian row house where they hung their shingle was once Le Petit Gaston’s, a legendary French bistro run by Gaston Schwalb for nearly two decades. Elle M’a Dit opened in June and focuses on rustic Alsatian cooking with dishes like tarte flambée, a Gallic spin on pizza, and coq au vin, a classic stew of chicken braised in red wine. At home in this unique patch of Toronto, Furstoss has fallen comfortably into the role of chef patron.

“There is a lot more stress and responsibility, but it’s worth it.”

Furstoss serves coq au vin with spaetzle, but it also goes well with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.

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